{"product_id":"soyuz-ms-09-flown-iss-cover-a-gerst","title":"Soyuz MS-09 – FLOWN ISS cover – A. Gerst","description":"\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the celebrated astrophilatelic collection of Jacques Bracke\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn exceptional \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eInternational Space Station–flown Soyuz MS-09 cover\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, hand-signed by both the prime crew and the official backup crew of this important 2018 ISS expedition. Carried aboard the station and postmarked \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethree times in space\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, this is an outstanding six-signature artifact linking two consecutive Soyuz missions and two successive ISS crew rotations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe cover is signed by the complete \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz MS-09 prime crew\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSergey Prokopyev\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — Roscosmos cosmonaut and Soyuz MS-09 commander\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlexander Gerst\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — ESA astronaut from Germany and later Expedition 57 commander\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSerena Auñón-Chancellor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — NASA astronaut and Expedition 56\/57 flight engineer\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is also signed by their officially designated \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ebackup crew\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOleg Kononenko\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — Roscosmos cosmonaut and later Soyuz MS-11 commander\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnne C. McClain\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — NASA astronaut and later Soyuz MS-11 flight engineer\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavid Saint-Jacques\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — Canadian Space Agency astronaut and later Soyuz MS-11 flight engineer\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz MS-09 launched from Baikonur on 6 June 2018 and carried Prokopyev, Gerst, and Auñón-Chancellor to the International Space Station for Expeditions 56 and 57. Their approximately six-and-a-half-month mission spanned a notable period of ISS operations, research, maintenance, and international cooperation among Roscosmos, NASA, and the European Space Agency.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlexander Gerst assumed command of Expedition 57, becoming the second German astronaut to command the ISS and one of Europe’s most prominent modern spacefarers. Serena Auñón-Chancellor completed her first long-duration spaceflight aboard the station, while Sergey Prokopyev served as Soyuz commander on his first mission to orbit.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe backup crew adds unusual historical depth. Rather than remaining only reserve personnel, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOleg Kononenko, Anne McClain, and David Saint-Jacques\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e later flew together aboard \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz MS-11\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in December 2018, arriving at the ISS shortly before the MS-09 crew returned to Earth. This creates a particularly attractive continuity: one cover records both the flown mission crew and the backup trio who soon became their direct successors aboard the station.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe three authentic onboard ISS postmarks provide tangible evidence of the cover’s orbital journey, while the complete prime-and-backup crew autograph set makes it far more than a conventional flown souvenir. It is a compact historical record of how Soyuz crew assignments, international training, and ISS expedition handovers were intertwined during this late pre-commercial-crew era.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith its documented ISS flight, triple in-space cancellations, six astronaut and cosmonaut signatures, complete prime-and-backup crew association, and distinguished Jacques Bracke provenance, this is a superb addition to an advanced collection of Soyuz, ISS, ESA, Canadian spaceflight, or astronaut-signed astrophilately.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Been in Space","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58134220210440,"sku":"13305","price":295.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1490\/3832\/files\/13305.jpg?v=1782999196","url":"https:\/\/www.beeninspace.com\/products\/soyuz-ms-09-flown-iss-cover-a-gerst","provider":"BEEN IN SPACE","version":"1.0","type":"link"}